Kenny Payne says Louisville crowd energy was 'great to see'

After an 0-9 start to his head coaching career, Kenny Payne finally got the monkey off his back in Louisville’s 94-83 victory over Western Kentucky. The Cardinal faithful went from having not much to cheer about to finally finding a spark in the Yum Center on Wednesday night. To see their passion and appreciation even after the dreadful start is all Payne says he could have asked for.

Payne was proud of the fanbase’s response during his postgame press conference. He said he’s trying to get his players to understand that the response they earned last night from the Louisville crowd is what they can earn every night if they fight with the fire that they did every time they take the floor.

“Well, first of all, I commend our fans. Because, whether it was a win or a loss, our team played with energy and they responded to that. They played with a fire and they responded to that,” Payne said. “(It’s) great to get the win but I need these guys to understand that the fans of Louisville? They want to see a fire, they want to see energy, they want to see a fight, a determination. They’re basketball people…You gotta go out and fight. So it was great to see.”

In front of a listed crowd of 12,147, Louisville finally found some offense. They shot 54.4% from the field on the night along with a 52% mark from distance. El Ellis was a big part of that success on the offensive end. The senior guard shot 10-19 from the field and 4-7 from deep en route to a career-best 30 points. He also paired that scoring output with 10 assists on the night.

After the horrible start out of the gate, Louisville needed this win in the worst way. They didn’t just need it for themselves but to rally their fanbase again. Still, whether last night went their way or not, the Cardinal fans rode with them from the very start until the final buzzer. It’s the kind of energy Payne has been fighting to see from his team and arena all season long and it provided the kind of performance that can hopefully propel them as they look to wrap up the calendar year strong this month.